Organic… What does it mean and why we say we are?
The word organic carries a huge responsibility, and there's a stringent set of rules to follow before we can put it on our Nourish labels. But what does it actually mean and is all organic food actually good for you?
Just because a product states organic, doesn’t mean that it is automatically healthy. For example a bag of organic sweets are still going to be full of sugar and not something that is going to benefit your health! However Organic does carry weight when it comes to products made from natural nourishing food ingredients and ‘real food’ such as fruits, vegetables and animal products.
“Organic is a system of farming and food production. Organic farmers aim to produce high-quality food, using methods that benefit our whole food system, from people to planet, plant health to animal welfare.” (Soil Association UK)
Many people tell me, and believe, that organic is expensive, and there is a long argument around this, in which you'll find many differences of opinion. It is true that you will pay a higher price in general for choosing organic, however the benefits from this choice greatly outnumber not choosing organic.
For example the nutrient density of organic products is often far greater, there are often no sulphites added to preserve the food, your health and wellbeing over time is likely to be greater (due to less exposure to pesticides and insecticides). But how to do it on a food budget? As a family we look at the PAN-UK website. Here you will find the dirty dozen. These are foods that have the greatest amount of pesticides and insecticides sprayed on them if you choose to get them non-organic.
So, we prioritise these foods and buy organic sourcing through farm co-operatives such as Riverford and Abel and Cole, as well as the mainstream supermarkets. During Organic Month in September we will look more closely at organic food choices.
Nourish and our Organic Status.
1. Berries are one of the dirty dozen mentioned above, so prioritising these varieties as organic is key for us. So the next time you have a strawberry or raspberry product from the Nourish kitchen – be reassured knowing they are organic!
2. Sulphites. Coconut is a product often packed with sulphites when brought non-organic (check a bag of desiccated coconut next time you are in the supermarket). Buying organic avoids this and ensures that the product is fresh as well!
3. Organic cares for the land. There is an increased awareness of the importance of sustainable methods of food production which reduce the detrimental impact on the environment.
4. Organic Certification however takes time and extra resource. We go through this process of validation every year and are audited by the Organic Food Federation. We are committed to doing this on our Coconut based products knowing the ingredients we use are so important to keep organic due to the heavy pesticide use in its non-organic version.
Follow our social channels over the next few weeks to find out more about Organic and some Nourish hints and tips when choosing ingredients and products.